Wichita, Kansas, United States - Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church Daily Devotional for Saturday, 29 November 2014
Eudora UMC
Five Rivers District
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Fort Scott: First UMC
Five Rivers District
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Last Sunday after Pentecost/in Kingdomtide – White Christ the King/Reign of Christ Sunday
This Week's Lectionary Scriptures:
Lectionary Scriptures:
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Psalm 100
Ephesians 1:15-23
Matthew 25:31-46
Ezekiel 34:11-16 “‘God, the Master, says: From now on, I myself am the shepherd. I’m going looking for them. As shepherds go after their flocks when they get scattered, I’m going after my sheep. I’ll rescue them from all the places they’ve been scattered to in the storms. I’ll bring them back from foreign peoples, gather them from foreign countries, and bring them back to their home country. I’ll feed them on the mountains of Israel, along the streams, among their own people. I’ll lead them into lush pasture so they can roam the mountain pastures of Israel, graze at leisure, feed in the rich pastures on the mountains of Israel. And I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep. I myself will make sure they get plenty of rest. I’ll go after the lost, I’ll collect the strays, I’ll doctor the injured, I’ll build up the weak ones and oversee the strong ones so they’re not exploited.
20-22 “‘Therefore, God, the Master, says: I myself am stepping in and making things right between the plump sheep and the skinny sheep. Because you forced your way with shoulder and rump and butted at all the weaker animals with your horns till you scattered them all over the hills, I’ll come in and save my dear flock, no longer let them be pushed around. I’ll step in and set things right between one sheep and another.
23-24 “‘I’ll appoint one shepherd over them all: my servant David. He’ll feed them. He’ll be their shepherd. And I, God, will be their God. My servant David will be their prince. I, God, have spoken.
Psalm 100: A Thanksgiving Psalm
1-2 On your feet now—applaud God!
Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.
3 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn’t make him.
We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.
4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.
5 For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.
Ephesians 1:15-19 That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!
20-23 All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.
Matthew 25: The Sheep and the Goats
31-33 “When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
34-36 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’
37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
41-43 “Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—
I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’
44 “Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’
45 “He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’
46 “Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.”
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary:
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Verse 12
[12] As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
In the cloudy and dark day — In the time of general distress.
Verse 16
[16] I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
The fat — The powerful and rich.
I will feed — I will judge and punish them.
Verse 20
[20] Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.
I will judge — I will vindicate the poor.
The fat cattle — The rich.
The lean — The poor.
Verse 23
[23] And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
One shepherd — Christ, the great good, chief, only shepherd, that laid down his life for his sheep.
My servant David — The seed of David, the beloved one, who was typified by David, and is in other places called by his name, as Jeremiah 30:9; Ezekiel 37:24; Hosea 3:5.
He shall feed — Do all the office of a good and faithful shepherd, and that for ever.
Verse 24
[24] And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.
My servant — Christ was in this great work his fathers servant, Isaiah 42:1.
Psalm 100
(Read all of Psalm 100)
An exhortation to praise God and to rejoice in him, verse 1-5 A psalm of praise.
An Exhortation to Thanksgiving
100 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all [1] generations.
Ephesians 1:15-23
Verse 15
[15] Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
Since I heard of your faith and love — That is, of their perseverance and increase therein.
Verse 16
[16] Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
I cease not — In all my solemn addresses to God.
To give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers — So he did of all the churches, Colossians 1:9.
Verse 17
[17] That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
That the Father of that infinite glory which shines in the face of Christ, from whom also we receive the glorious inheritance, Ephesians 1:18, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation - The same who is the Spirit of promise is also, in the progress of the faithful, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation; making them wise unto salvation, and revealing to them the deep things of God. He is here speaking of that wisdom and revelation which are common to all real Christians.
Verse 18
[18] The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
The eyes of your understanding — It is with these alone that we discern the things of God. Being first opened, and then enlightened - - By his Spirit.
That ye may know what is the hope of his calling — That ye may experimentally and delightfully know what are the blessings which God has called you to hope for by his word and his Spirit.
And what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints — What an immense treasure of blessedness he hath provided as an inheritance for holy souls.
Verse 19
[19] And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
And what the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe — Both in quickening our dead souls, and preserving them in spiritual life.
According to the power which he exerted in Christ, raising him from the dead — By the very same almighty power whereby he raised Christ; for no less would suffice.
Verse 20
[20] Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
And he hath seated him at his own right hand — That is, he hath exalted him in his human nature, as a recompence for his sufferings, to a quiet, everlasting possession of all possible blessedness, majesty, and glory.
Verse 21
[21] Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion — That is, God hath invested him with uncontrollable authority over all demons in hell, all angels in heaven, and all the princes and potentates on earth.
And every name that is named — We know the king is above all, though we cannot name all the officers of his court. So we know that Christ is above all, though we are not able to name all his subjects.
Not only in this world, but also in that which is to come — The world to come is so styled, not because it does not yet exist, but because it is not yet visible. Principalities and powers are named now; but those also who are not even named in this world, but shall be revealed in the world to come, are all subject to Christ.
Verse 22
[22] And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
And he hath given him to be head over all things to the church — An head both of guidance and government, and likewise of life and influence, to the whole and every member of it. All these stand in the nearest union with him, and have as continual and effectual a communication of activity, growth, and strength from him, as the natural body from its head.
Verse 23
[23] Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
The fulness of him that filleth all in all — It is hard to say in what sense this can be spoken of the church; but the sense is easy and natural, if we refer it to Christ, who is the fulness of the Father.
Matthew 25:31-46
Verse 31
[31] When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him — With what majesty and grandeur does our Lord here speak of himself Giving us one of the noblest instances of the true sublime. Indeed not many descriptions in the sacred writings themselves seem to equal this. Methinks we can hardly read it without imagining ourselves before the awful tribunal it describes.
Verse 34
[34] Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Inherit the kingdom — Purchased by my blood, for all who have believed in me with the faith which wrought by love.
Prepared for you — On purpose for you. May it not be probably inferred from hence, that man was not created merely to fill up the places of the fallen angels?
Verse 35
[35] For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
I was hungry, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink — All these works of outward mercy suppose faith and love, and must needs he accompanied with works of spiritual mercy. But works of this kind the Judge could not mention in the same manner. He could not say, I was in error, and ye recalled me to the truth; I was in sin, and ye brought me to repentance.
In prison — Prisoners need to be visited above all others, as they are commonly solitary and forsaken by the rest of the world.
Verse 37
[37] Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Then shall the righteous answer — It cannot be, that either the righteous or the wicked should answer in these very words. What we learn herefrom is, that neither of them have the same estimation of their own works as the Judge hath.
Verse 40
[40] And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Inasmuch as ye did it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye did it to me — What encouragement is here to assist the household of faith? But let us likewise remember to do good to all men.
Verse 41
[41] Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Depart into the everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels — Not originally for you: you are intruders into everlasting fire.
Verse 44
[44] Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Then will they answer — So the endeavour to justify themselves, will remain with the wicked even to that day!
Verse 46
[46] And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life everlasting — Either therefore the punishment is strictly eternal, or the reward is not: the very same expression being applied to the former as to the latter. The Judge will speak first to the righteous, in the audience of the wicked. The wicked shall then go away into everlasting fire, in the view of the righteous. Thus the damned shall see nothing of the everlasting life; but the just will see the punishment of the ungodly. It is not only particularly observable here, 1. That the punishment lasts as long as the reward; but, 2. That this punishment is so far from ceasing at the end of the world, that it does not begin till then.
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Today’s Devotion:
Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional “Willingness to Serve” for Saturday, 29 November 2014 - Scripture: Matthew 25: The Sheep and the Goats31-33 “When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
34-36 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’
37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
The king will say to those on his right, “. . . I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.”[Matthew 25:34-35 (NIV)]
A friend had promised to join me at the airport to offer company and assistance while I was traveling. When I arrived, my friend was not at the airport, and I was unable to reach him. I had no money to buy a meal, no phone, and no internet access to send an e-mail; so I sat, feeling lonely and afraid as I waited for my flight. When a young man passed by, holding a cell phone, I asked him to help me send a text message. Not only did he let me make a call, but he also bought me snacks for breakfast. How did he know I was hungry?
I am grateful to God for coming to me through a stranger, who met my needs and offered me comfort. This stranger’s generous help reminded me of Matthew 25:40: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” I have learned to be vigilant, willing to offer assistance to someone in need without prompting, because in so doing, I am serving the Lord.
Read more from the author, here.
"Pastime Adventures"
By nature, I like to explore new and different ways of doing things. Sometimes the outcomes are encouraging and fulfilling, while in other cases, there is nothing much to show or rejoice about in undertaking the new venture. At such times, I look back and wish that I had not spent the efforts and the resources on a particular adventure.
My latest such adventure was when I began to raise rabbits a few months ago. At the time, there was widespread publicity about how profitable rabbit farming can be with ready markets all over the place. Besides, a close family member and her friend had convinced me that there was no reason whatsoever to shy away from the initiative. They offered to assist with the marketing for a small commission.
Several months later, we have the beautiful rabbits, whose population keeps growing, their upkeep expenses building up with no accessible markets in sight. Follow-up conversations with the close family member and friend about the initially available markets have led to a loud silence. Nonetheless, I have come to realize a growing emotional attachment and a sense of gratification every time as I visit the rabbit hutch to give them food and watch them nibble and chew the leaves they are offered as their meals. It all makes me feel good just having them, even though there is no money return from the venture – at least for now.
Prior to this undertaking, few people in our neighborhood would see the sense in trying to do kitchen gardening in an urban setting within the capital city. I can’t wholly capture the economic benefits we as a family together with our skeptical neighbors drew from our small kitchen garden, but I rejoiced at the fact that this small initiative opened a transformative debate in the community that acted as an eye opener to many people. Not only did the neighbors begin to do their own kitchen gardening, but there also arose a rowing interest in agribusiness ventures that are modeled around the same concepts we used due to limited space.
I have never been able to undertake any major assignments in a formalized setting to improve the quality of life for a community and help reduce poverty. This is one my heart’s overriding desires. But from these small experiences, I have learned that even small undertakings can have unprecedented impact for the individual and his or her neighbors. I am excited and delighted that even though I have not been able to serve the community in an organized formal setting, God has used my little acts to impact the lives of the people around me in more significant ways than I would have ever imagined.[Philip Polo]
The Author: Philip Polo (Nairobi, Kenya)
Thought for the Day: What opportunities are available for me to minister to the people I encounter today?
Prayer: Thank you, dear God, for your abundant and loving care. Give us a discerning spirit and willingness to assist those in need. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Prayer focus: People who are traveling
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Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church
9440 E Boston, Suite 160
Wichita KS 67207
316-686-0600
800-745-2350
info@greatplainsumc.org
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